Amir is studious and inquisitive. His dream is to one day be a newspaper reporter. He works hard writing articles and conducting interviews for TLX News.
Emilio is an adventurer. He loves to travel with his parents and his older brother, Ernesto. He is also interested in history and has visited many historic sites.
Jill is running for class president at her school. She is a leader in her class and encourages good citizenship. Each month she volunteers at her town’s local food pantry.
Shelby loves going to her local recreation center to skateboard and take art classes. She is very involved in her community and helps with recycling and conservation.
Camille has French heritage. She uses her laptop to email her friends and organizing her MP3 collection. Her dad is a music teacher and someday she might like to be one, too.
Ernesto loves sports, and his favorite sport is soccer. He is also very interested in photography and one day hopes to be a professional photographer.
Ruby cares about environmental issues. She likes to visit state and national parks. Someday, she hopes to be an architect and design skyscrapers that are Earth friendly.
Aiden lives on a big cattle farm in Texas. He likes to grow vegetables in his own garden and uses them to help his family make fajitas. Cooking is his favorite hobby.
Adam lives with his grandparents near the beach. They are Chinese Americans. He likes to help his grandfather paint pictures of the ocean.
Lilly wants to be a pilot. One day she would even like to fly in the space shuttle! For now, she'll just use her telescope to visit outer space.
Reema and her family are from India. She likes animals and hopes someday to be a vet. She is practicing by taking care of her pet turtle, George.
Sam likes to read. He loves going to the library and reading books about dinosaurs. Sam is hearing impaired. His family is learning American Sign Language.

Amir is studious and inquisitive. His dream is to one day be a newspaper reporter. He works hard writing articles and conducting interviews for TLX News.

aboriginal:: the first people to live in a region
venue:: a place where events are held
compost:: a mixture of natural materials that is used for fertilizing
achievement:: a success someone has
ceremony :: a series of acts performed in a certain way according to a set of rules

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Igniting Olympic Excitement

Every two years, athletes from around the world meet to compete in either the summer or winter Olympic Games. Before each of these games, the Olympic flame is lit in a special ceremony in Olympia, Greece. A ceremony is a series of acts performed in a certain way according to a set of rules. This ceremony honors ancient Greek traditions from the first Olympic Games held in 776 B.C.

During a reenactment ceremony, the Olympic flame is lit using a special mirror which uses sunlight to ignite the flame.

The flame then travels from Greece to the host city where the games are being held. A flaming torch canâ€™t be taken on an airplane. So, how does it get from Greece to the host city? The flame is placed in a special lantern that keeps the plane safe. Once the flame arrives in the host city it is carried around the host country in the Olympic Torch Relay.

During the Torch Relay, the Olympic flame is carried by many different people. Instead of passing one torch from person to person, everyone chosen to carry the flame is given their own torch. When one route comes to an end, the flame is passed by lighting the next torch. The torch carrier usually walks or runs along his or her route. Other times, the torch travels in more interesting ways. Host countries find ways to carry the torch that reflect their cultures.

During both the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays, the flame is passed from one torch bearer to the next. The Paralympic Games feature differently-abled athletes who compete in sport competitions.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is the host city of the 2010 Winter Olympics. During the 2010 Torch Relay, the Olympic flame was carried in some special ways for the first time in the history of the Olympics. The flame was carried on a skateboard, dog sled, and rowing boat. These are popular sports in Canada. It was also carried in Northern Canada by someone riding in a polar rover. This is a special vehicle that is designed to travel in arctic conditions.

At the end of the Torch Relay, the flame ends up back in the host city. The torch then becomes a major part of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. The flame is brought into the stadium and is used to light a cauldron, or large kettle. The flame burns throughout the Olympic Games. It is extinguished, or put out during the closing ceremony.

TLX News Journal – History Activity:
The Olympic flame is involved in several ceremonies that are important Olympic traditions. Describe a ceremony you have seen or been a part of. Explain how you know it is a ceremony.

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